Catastrophe
by juniebbreeze
Summary: Nothing good comes from lingering on the past but with each month another dreamy memory drives her back to the arms where she felt most comfortable. Let's hope they're open. [A series of one shots, combined into one Logan and Rory fueled beginning and end]
1. baby blue

**disclaimer: i don't own Gilmore Girls; if i did Rory and Logan would have lived happily ever after **

**quick note: i wrote this story after starting my umpteenth rewatch. at this point it's going to be six chapters, beginning with a write up of one of my favorite scenes in the show and followed by a quick snip into the future. it will have pretty clear time jumps so each chapter will sort of act as a one shot. thanks for checking it out!**

* * *

The rumbling of the blue truck echoed through the courtyard, bouncing between lush greenery and empty champagne bottles and he wondered how a guy like that could get a girl like her.

She was poised yet goofy, fun yet formal, and inquisitive yet so, so shy. He had been drawn to her energy since she challenged him outside of her dorm room. The flyers in her hand wrinkled as she grilled him about the personality traits he had lazily pieced together to form this outward being that everyone had come to love or hate.

Something about the aura hanging over the two of them talking low and slowly seemed negative. The blonde sensed there was trouble in the paradise he had known for mere minutes and he wondered if this had something to do with the pack of men standing behind him, donned in overpriced suits, existing lavishly.

It was enough to make the wealthy retreat so he can only imagine what it would do to a small-town boy driving a hand me down and wearing a shirt off the sale rack.

Her shoulders shook as the overtly tall figure crawled back into the truck, rumbling out in a cloud of smoke that encased her pale skin. His hand balled into a fist before quickly lurching to her side, taking his place as her protector over the other eligible contestants of her affection.

He couldn't believe what an absolute prick somebody had to be to leave a girl as remarkable as Rory standing alone on the cobblestone.

Being single had worked for him for many moons. His own tendencies leaning towards youthful playfulness instead of attached to the hip of another person but he could still feel the sympathy, pain, and embarrassment that had encased her. She looked downright fragile, like a sculpture of crystal, covered in a light dusting of diamonds and hairspray. Her skin was cold as he looped a suited arm around her and pulled her into his side. A friendly embrace, nothing crazy but then she looked at him with those orbs of ocean blue and his knees shook.

This was not going to be just another friend.

* * *

"It's a boy!"

The heartbeat echoed through the small white washed room and Rory wondered if she was going to throw up, faint, or actually just keel over and die. What did they mean it had a gender? It had a heartbeat. Would it have those signature blonde looks with chestnut eyes or would it share her and her mother's baby blues?

Oh god. Baby.  
Nobody say baby.  
This couldn't be happening.

The brunettes head jolted to the side that her mother was so calmly standing on. She was doing that thing where her personal items were tucked in her arms and she held them for dear life, like dropping them would cause the whole world to combust. Her eyes were wide and tears welled in the corner but nothing dripped. In fact, had she had a darker iris the bloodshot circles lining the particularly bright centers would be hardly noticeable but damn those Gilmore girls were always obvious criers.

"Mom, say something…." Her words are hardly above as a whisper as she covers her own eyes with her petite hands. What was she thinking? Waiting this long, finding out the gender- she had options before she got this far! She could have taken a plan B or not skipped that one stupid day of birth control. She could have not slept with a man who was at the time engaged to be married and was now actually married. She could have terminated the pregnancy- after all, she didn't even have a house or anywhere to keep this little being! This little boy being.

"He's beautiful!" Lorelai runs her fingers across her daughters exposed arm instantly soothing her. She feels her heart rate lower and wonders how she would ever get by without this wonderful woman to bring her back to earth, "You should call him. He'd want to know." That voice of reason that always gurgled from the back of her throat was rearing its ugly head in the ultrasound room and Rory felt claustrophobic enough without Logan Huntzberger in the picture.

Unable to speak, she ran her hands down her face, wiping away the tears as they formed. Calling Logan had been a conversation that bounced in her mind often. What would she say? How would she say it? What if he didn't care? Or worse- what if he did?

She never expected him to fly across the country just to be at her beck and call, grab her the Cherry Garcia from the freezer, and rub her feet when they got too swollen to wear those strappy heels she liked so much but she fantasized about it. When she was holding her own hair back, rejecting the two saltine crackers she had consumed she thought about how supportive he would be and how gentle.

Her mind couldn't wander too far though without shooting right back to him in bed with his wife. His beautiful, olive skinned, slim wife who joined him for morning spin classes and held his arm without overstepping at business luncheons.

Rory always overstepped. Word vomit constantly pouring out of every orifice as she shocked and amazed even the cockiest souls that walked those ridiculous functions in overpriced silk ties. She didn't wake up and go to spin class, in fact the only spinning she did was when she drank too much or stress tapped a little too hard. Her skin wasn't olive, her father wasn't some delegate of something, and she was the past, not the present.

"I'll think about it…" She muttered it out, her hand dropping like a dead flounder at her side. It's all she did was think about it. He would answer the phone with that obnoxious nickname that had followed her out of college and well into her adult years. He would ask about work; she'd lie because it was embarrassing to say that she was still doing nothing except laying on her mother's couch using a pickle as a peanut butter spoon. They'd sit in silence before he ultimately dropped the phrase, _she's here_.

"Did you two need a minute?" The machine chirped, printing what Rory imagined was that stupid photo of the black and white bean that maybe had fingers and toes and other miscellaneous miniature parts that mimicked her own.

"How many people have cried in that chair?" Lorelai remarks, mocking the younger version of herself, sniffling her own sobs away.

"You'd be surprised!" The nurse wore a smock covered in gender neutral bears and her bangs were teased to 80's perfection. She had this stupidly punch-able demeanor, the way she chuckled through her gut at everything that was said and the way that she cooed and cawed at the literal black and white blob of goo on the 10-inch screen.

The tall brunette tugged down her daughter's shirt and helped her off the bed. She was so petite that she looked about ready to pop even though she was barely halfway through but she carried it with prestige. Even the baby encased in her pale skin looked esteemed, intelligent, and well-to-do just like it's hyphenated last name would suggest.

"Coffee?" The mini to the master suggested, her large orbs begging despite the doctor's orders.

"You got it kid!" Lorelai's arm draped around her shoulders and she pulled her in like she was just little, in the midst of a bad night of sleep or the stomach flu, "And then maybe after we've got you and Baby Beluga all caffeinated up we can just make a super quick and short phone call." Her fingers danced with nervous energy, "Do you have anyone in your phone that rhymes with Molgan Schmuntzmurger?" The false name is long and drawn out, the intended being evident.

Rory's shoulders immediately tensed and the overwhelming amount of stimulation caused by the pictures of baby feet, bows, and her mother was causing her typically pale skin to grow red, "I'll be right back! And don't get me decaf!" She pulled away, eyes darting to find the nearest exit sign. It was a hospital so luckily, they were everywhere and it was the maternity, prenatal, OBGYN unit so every single exit came fully equipped with a comfortable bench and sheltered awning. Rory plopped down on the nearest empty wood monstrosity, pulling her phone from the bag that's strap laid tightly along her body despite it being on the absolute maximum length allowance. Her screen was blank. It was always blank. She hadn't received a text or call from anyone but her mother and her best friend in weeks and even those were few and far in-between.

It had been months since she had deleted his number. It was before that test reared it's negatively, positive sign, before her shirts tugged at her every inch, and before she had grown half a human but she still remembered every digit and her hands dialed like auto pilot.

He answered.  
Immediately.  
Despite time zones and miles and marriages.  
He always did.

She wondered if he always would. Even when he had sweet little blonde children, and they were bumping elbows with the Queen's grandkids. If he would when Odette was in the midst of an ultrasound or in the midst of labor. When she was cooking the family pancakes and he was helping their already poised son take his first steps or helping his daughter pick out her first Birkin bag. Surely, he wouldn't.

"Ace, that you?" The familiar sound was deeper, like he had a cold. Was Europe frigid this time of year? Was he getting enough rest, drinking enough fluids? He probably left that damn balcony door open. Idiot.

Her voice catchers in her throat and the groggiest, wimpiest, "Hello!" Squeaks out. What was she thinking calling him at this ungodly hour? What was she going to say. She hadn't thought any of this through.

Luckily Logan was always a good conversation starter, "How have you been?" He's cordial, must be at the office, "I've been meaning to catch up!" He was always meaning to catch up with her, his joy, his light, the girl that he would have settled so soon for, "I'm actually in New York right now and will be for about one weekend a month if you want to grab breakfast at the place we used to love… the croissants…the coffee!" He's rambling on, unaware of the ball about to drop into his life that was currently residing in her stomach.

"Logan!" She cuts him off, "I'm pregnant." Silence crackles through the phone, a cricket chirps in the Midwest, a singular horn honks in LA, "It's yours if I didn't make that entirely clear." Her breathing is strained from the built-up anxiety, "Croissants sounds good! And coffee!" She tries to divert the blurb that just rocketed itself across state lines, "Just thought you'd want to know because I just was at the appointment today and well actually I'm still at the hospital. I'm on this bench with weird floral patterns. It reminds me of that pillow I had on that goofy yellow couch back when we were at Yale. I think it's supposed to be soothing. Kind of is…" She picked the loose threads trying to find the end to this conversation, "Anyways, they told me it was a boy an-,"

"It's a boy?" He's stern. He's shaking, it's evident. She can picture his face, a mix of excitement and horror. His mind is probably cranking wondering the last time the two even saw each other much less the last time they rolled around in the sheets.

Tears well in her eyes and this reality didn't seem so scary anymore, "Yeah, it's a boy…." Silence follows again and she swears she heard a click of him hanging up, "Hello?"

"I'll be to Stars Hallow by tonight, okay?" He doesn't give her a chance to hesitate before ending the call.

Not that she would have.


	2. rikki

The Stars Hallow hangovers were enough to swear any alcoholic off from drinking. The small, quaint town had this knack for creating concoctions that were unlike anything else and Miss Patty's founder day punch could be marketed like Everclear. Maybe it was Everclear? Maybe Miss Patty just threw some food coloring in it? Rory would have to do some research on that.

The brunette gagged just thinking about the sharp taste and atrocious color. Any amount consumed would have been too much and she had at least a quart- maybe even a gallon, at the rate she was chugging solo cups. She almost wished she had the same fury she had yesterday on cup number two as she walked the corridors to the hall of Huntzberger. Her palms were clammy, stomach noticeably upset, and the weirdest hankering for a taco lingering inside of her. She could hear his music at the door; Lane would despise this 50's style beat adjourned with modern lyrics. Her hand paused sharply before falling into a knock that was quickly answered by his overtly surprised expression.

He offered for her to sit down. She didn't want to sit down for two reasons- the nausea and the break up. The breakup of what, she wasn't sure in this scenario but it was the ending of something. He seemed to notice it too but he also seemed unsure. Unsure of where this was coming from, unsure that he wanted to break up at all.

That's when he dropped the preposition that stumped them both.

"I'll be your boyfriend!" The way his face contorted at the word both in anger and perseverance seemed alarming. She knew it wouldn't work. He was not that type of guy and that was fine. She knew what she had signed up for after all.

She rejected the offer to which he rejected her rejection. They could take this current comedy act on the road.

"I can do it!" He crashed his lips to hers causing a smile that crossed the entire campus.

Despite her immediate objection she had never been happier to here that classic persistence and love of a challenge shine through.

Logan.  
Her boyfriend.  
It sounded good rolling off her tongue.

* * *

"It's a girl!" Latex hands displayed a screaming ball of blood and goo to the most shocked expressions he had seen in a while. He figured it was the first-time parent glow, "Congrats you two! Congrats Grandma!"

Lorelai watched as the baby was wrapped up in a pink striped blanket and placed in the arms of her daughter. She was absolutely beautiful with her piercing blue eyes and blonde tufts of hair. It reminded her of the day that she got to hold Rory for the first time but, something was different. She pressed, "Are you sure it's a girl? Because they said it was a boy! The whole nursery is blue and we bought shirts that say silly things like _Little Man, Big Dreams _and _They told my mom I was a boy!_" Her nervous laughter drowns out the beeping of all the machines. The doctor had turned around to strip from his dirtied attire and change into another smock for phase two of labor and delivery but even he stops in his tracks. "Check again, please!" She urges.

"They said it was a boy? Huh…" He slaps a new set of gloves on and walks to the bedside, taking the infant from Rory who looked shocked, sweaty, but absolutely elated. It was a quick call, "Definitely a girl!"

Rory's arms extend to take the fruit of her literal labor, "What are we going to do?" Her hair, doused in sweat and melted makeup, still looked impeccable and the drugged-up, slur in her voice made it obvious that she was to out of it to get the full extent of the situation. Her typical Type A self would never ask that question in such melodic fashion. She tugs the baby into her chest, skin to skin or something was what one of the eight hundred books she managed to crank through in the second half of the pregnancy said would be best for a newborn, "Do you think she'll like blue?"

Her eyes dart to the blonde standing next to her, his eyes pinned down on the figure laying peacefully on her chest, soft cries escaping the perfect pout, "She's going to love blue!" Although his father had been overjoyed for a grandson, a rare feeling that Mitchum experienced, Logan was ecstatic that it was a girl. He was honored to be fifty percent of the successor to the Gilmore Girl legacy, grateful that his daughter, his flesh and blood, would be surrounded by strong, independent, competent woman who ranged from journalists, novelists, business owners, and then some.

"But I wanted to name her Richard…." Her mood had shifted, a typical hormonal swing, "I mean him…. It…." She sobbed loudly, alarming the nurses, doctor, and her mother.

Logan ushered them away with a glance and fell to her side, his hand stroking her flushed cheeks, "We could name her Rikki?"

"Logan!" She sobs at his attempt, "What about Emily Honor Cornelia Rikki Huntzberger-Gilmore!" It was apparent that she thought she was onto something with that extended list of miscellaneous family names.

"You're kidding!" Lorelai exclaims, having been silenced for far too long, "What about Emily Elihu Huntzberger-Gilmore?" She would never have chosen to name her own child after her mother or after the school which she met her baby daddy but she appreciated the sentiment.

"What about just Gilmore?" Logan ponders out loud, "I'll obviously sign the birth certificate and I'm not going anywhere but come on guys, she's a Gilmore just like Rory was. She is a product of the ultimate environment and every good thing that she is, will be because she came from you!" His smiling eyes are met with awes.

"I think it's perfect…" Lorelai backs down from the humor and the classic comedic façade. She covers her mouth with her hand and smiles reassuringly at her daughter, "You did good kids!"

"Knock, knock!" A figure in plaid emerges at the door in his bearded and disheveled glory. In his hands, he carried a teddy bear that looked small against his giant mitts and a bouquet of flowers encased in blue.

"It's a girl!" Lorelai yells out spoiling the fun.

He drops the items at his side in disbelief, "But the nursery!"

"Don't worry, she likes blue!" Rory pipes up from her spot on the bed, "You have coffee in that bouquet by chance?" It was always her first thought when Luke walked through the door with that familiar scent of French Roast following him wherever he went.

He shakes his head, walking over to get a better look at the newest member of the clan, "A girl, huh?"

"Do you think there is something in the water?" Lorelai ponders, her hand digging in her bag.

"What are you looking for?" Without his baseball cap on backwards the wrinkles that had formed on the edge of his forehead were evident, especially when he did his signature narrow eyed stare, "You're going to wake her! Her- what's her name?"

"Emily…." Rory beams, eager to hear her grandmothers delight when she reveals the newborn to her.

"A snack! I'm looking for a snack! It's tiring watching somebody give birth and then watch these two make lovey eyes at each other…" Lorelai halts the purse digging to give her daughter the signature smirk.

"Go, get a snack, get a cup of coffee! We've got this!" Logan escorts them to the door, "I've got this!" His voice lowers and he's reassuring the mother of his child's mother who he knew, despite her tough exterior, was nervous and excited and overwhelmed.

Her eyes sent the blonde the utmost appreciation but her body was exhausted. She slipped into the arms of her own significant other, a little bummed that her and Luke had never had the opportunity to do this moment together. She wondered if he felt the same but by the look on his face, he was elated to just be someone's Grandpa.

"Alright, baby is yours for the next thirty minutes or so while we get our trooper here all stitched up and fixed up!" The nurse pulled Logan away from the doorway and over to a reclining chair. Placed neatly in a perfectly wrapped blanket was the smallest being he had ever seen and he was tasked with caring for her, "All you have to do is rock this gently back and forth!" The elderly woman in bright blue scrubs smiled as she mimicked the motion. He picked it up quickly and successfully, grateful to have this moment of individual bliss.

Another Gilmore girl stole his heart.

**quick note:** **thanks to those that reviewed, followed, and favorited! i appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings. this chapter was meant to be lighter and happier but if you're into conflict, stay tuned because next chapter i am all over that! **


	3. cigarettes

He slid his sunglasses on as he crawled out of the private jet. Odette was waiting for him, her arms crossed, hair thrown back in a tight ponytail. She looked about as unimpressed as he had ever seen her; even worse, she maintained eye contact the entire time it took him to walk over making him feel extra guilty for the extended trip.

His blood pressure increased with each crinkle in her forehead that formed.

"You have something to tell me?" Her lips are pursed as she headed back to the limo that was waiting just steps away from the plane.

Logan chooses to ignore the bait and hands his bags off to the driver, making small talk about the weather and the amenities within the vehicle. She had never seen him so overtly friendly to staff and it made her want to scream.

So she did, "LOGAN!"

His eyes rolled back in his head and he was grateful to have the sunglasses on to hide his annoyance. His worn-out figure slipped across from her and he bit his lower lip- a nervous habit he had picked up, "Odette we need to talk… I had to take an extended trip because something came up. When I tell you though you need to understand the place you and I were in and the place that I foresee us going forward."

She crossed her right leg over her left, "Tread carefully darling…." Her hand reached for the bottle of champagne sitting to her left and she popped it open, pouring herself a tall glass, "Continue…." She didn't offer him any.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, working up the courage to explain the situation, "I got somebody pregnant and I'm still in love with her. I'm leaving you Odette, after I get our contracts and work orders figured out, I'm out for good. You can keep the condo and the cars, I don't really care!"

She practically spits her booze all over the freshly cleaned leather, "Excuse me?"

"Come on like you aren't sleeping with the Duke of whatever! Don't lie to me just to make me feel bad!" He was getting defensive, wishing he was back in quaint Stars Hallow, cuddled up in Rory's twin bed and listening to the relaxing heartbeat of the child they were about to bring in the world.

Odette practically laughed out loud, "Good luck with that Logan, we'll see what your father has to say about all of this…."

His hand balled to a fist and rammed into the side door.

She was so annoying with her arrogance.

"You're going to sign those papers Odette and even if you don't; we have nothing between us." He slid to the opposite side, hoping to get as far away from her as possible.

There was never anything between them if he was being honest.  
It was always Rory.  
It always would be.

* * *

"It's been a year Logan! Actually- technically- a year and a half!" The petite brunette attempted to keep her voice low but with anger came explosion from the depths of her diaphragm.

His feet propped on the ottoman shifted ever so slightly away from the girl attempting to make herself as tall as could be. He disregarded, fingers continually lingering on his keyboard finalizing some business item somewhere. She wasn't mad that he was working; she was mad that she was still NOT working.

Oh, and the fact that his divorce still hadn't been finalized.

"I can't keep doing this! I feel like I'm being strung along except we're not college sophomores anymore- we're grown adults!" She stomped her foot in distress, "I'm going to leave for a bit… go back to Stars Hallow, stay with my Mom and Luke." Her arms were crossed across her chest, body language leaving nothing to the imagination.

His eyes darted up to meet hers. The old Logan, the young Logan, would have exploded all over this scene. Accused and stomped his foot until he made his point and got his way but he knew that he wasn't able to do that now that he wasn't just dealing with a girlfriend but instead the mother of his child. "Rory…." He shuts his laptop and stands, "Let's talk about this!"

"I'm sick of talking! I need some action!" Her body retreats away from his, searching for a bag to throw miscellaneous toys and items for her tot into.

"I'm doing everything I can! It's more complicated than you think. Our marriage is filled with contracts and obligations and me rushing out of it after such a short period of time is against so many things that were signed when we went through with it!" He could feel his blood pressure rising but his voice dropped, "I need you to trust me. I am working on it!" His hand gripped her forearm, stopping her in her tracks.

She couldn't resist that low and steady voice that accompanied his serious talks. She wanted to believe that he was doing what he could and in reality, he was; she knew that. It didn't make the situation any less frustrating. Her typically pale cheeks were cracked with red lines, "I'm going to check on Em!" She had to get away from him, maybe not a town over but at least a room would do.

He understood, releasing his grip and falling back to the couch. Her figure waltzed away and he watched each step, grateful that this was his view. He listened for the familiar noses that came each time Em was taken from her comfortable crib. He lived for those noises.

The day that she was born may have been the best day of his life. It's true what they say- you don't know anything until it happens to you. He wondered what would have happened had Rory kept it from him. Where would she be now? Would she be living with her mother, writing novels from the family couch that she ate Indian food and watched millions of shitty movies on. Thinking too much about it made him angry. Angry that she kept so much from him in the first half of her pregnancy and angry that she could have potentially kept it from him entirely.

Clearly, they had some issues that they needed to work through.

The issue with the divorce was two-fold. The first, Mitchum wasn't having it. His business dealings with the woman's father were deep and when Logan had explained the situation he seemed confused why the blonde would immediately jump to divorce.

"But you're not with Rory you're just having a baby with her!" He puffed a cigar, something he had taken up in recent years, and slurped his morning coffee from the desk that sat in his study. Logan practically laughed when he said that, pondering how many children Mitchum had floating around out there that he had simply disregarded because it was just a baby.

The second was that Odette refused to sign the necessary documentation. Of course, the legality issue with contracts and nonsense was their but Logan had worked through each line carefully, making sure to not lose his family millions in this process. She didn't love him, hell, she didn't even like him! She huffed every time he walked in a room and he felt the same way about her. Her not signing the papers was simply petty revenge at this point for moving on before her.

His phone rang from the charger and he jumped, rushing to grab it before it disturbed anyone. He always hoped that it would just be a telemarketer call but it always turned into something really in depth that kept him up late at night staring at a computer screen instead of the inside of his eyelids.

"Hello! This is Logan." He stated in his generic phone voice.

"Logan! Hi! It's Lorelai!" A distressed voice on the other line responded, "Rory isn't answering her phone…. And I really…. I really need her to answer the phone!" He could hear the panic on the other side of the line, rising with each pause.

"Okay! I'll grab her quick…." Logan held the phone to his side, stepping quietly into the nursery to find his two favorite women fast asleep. He gently shook Rory who grumbled before groggily answering the phone.

"Hello?" Even in her half-asleep state she managed to keep her decibel level at a whisper, knowing that the piercing screams of a baby shaken from a REM cycle would be way too much to handle this late at night.

"Rory! It's mom…" Lorelai exclaims from the opposite side like she wouldn't recognize her voice immediately.

Rory shakes awake and looks at the time on the phone before responding, "It's late! Are you calling about Em's birthday party next week? Is it not okay to have it at the Inn? Oh god! We're going to have it here and the whole place is a mess!" She carried on about the birthday party, stressed at all the details that went into celebrating somebody who wasn't even aware of what was happening. Logan grabs the snoozing infant and ruffles her pin straight, blonde strands, apologizing with his energy for her crazy mother.

"No, no that's fine it's just we're going to be missing a guest maybe…. I don't really know how to say this!" The tall brunette was dodging the point of the call, "Grandma is the in hospital and it's not looking good…" She dropped the ball, heavy and hard handed. It felt insensitive rolling off her tongue so easily but it was no secret that the two had a different relationship than most mothers and daughters.

"But Emily is turning one tomorrow… Emily can't die on Emily's first birthday!" Rory is panic pacing around the room, her feet jumping around like her tap shoes had found their way to her feet, "She just can't because I saw her a few weeks ago and she was totally fine! Her skin looked great, she had just gotten her hair done and Berta was teaching her how to make zucchini bread!" She clamps her open fist together, "Mom, I'm not ready…."

The woman on the other line nodded despite her daughter not being able to see it. The strained relationship with her mother had been wound back together with loose stitches that sometimes came apart but were quickly mended back in place. They had grown into this weird, argumentative love and each year got a little smoother. She wished she had more time in this place with her. The happy place, the peaceful place, the place where her mother had learned to be a human and not a maid firing robot. She sighed, "I'm not ready either hon… Are you going to come down?"

"Let me just make sure Logan's okay here and I'll be right there!" Rory clicked the phone off knowing her mother would text exactly where to meet her once she got on the road.

"Make sure Logan's okay with what?" He had lingered back inside the room, his tired eyes laced with concern.

"My grandmother… she's…." She took a deep breath, "Can I?" She grabbed the growing baby from his arms and held her close, "She's not doing well. I have to go to the hospital."

"Well go! Go! Do you want me to come? I can call the nanny? Do you need a cab?" He was digging in his pockets for his wallet and phone, tossing them out as he found them.

"No, it's okay you can stay and watch her and I'll go! I have to go!" She sets Emily down in her crib, rubbing her cheek gently, "I'll call you, okay?" She squeezes his hand with a subtle smile, "Love you…"

"You too!" He returned the squeeze, pulling her to the door and handing her, her purse, keys, and coat on the way out.

She crawled into her vehicle and let a few sobs escape in the silence that accompanied the Connecticut highway. A few lights flashed around her but the traffic was practically stagnant at this time of night. The radio played quietly and she couldn't even make out the tune in between the shallow chest breaths spewing from her and the nervous tapping against the steering wheel. If Logan was along for the ride he would grab her hand to settle it and talk her through how to breath properly. If she could have even an ounce of his level head she would be so grateful. He was truly the calm to her constant internal storm.

The hospital looked quiet as she pulled up, like a ghost town. A doctor sat outside taking a long drag of the cigarette and she felt this need to yell at him to get back in and take care of her Grandma and also quit smoking because he's a doctor and that seemed contradictory. She barely felt her body lift from the driver's seat to the door to the waiting room of the emergency room. The elder version of herself was nowhere to be seen so she sat, trying to avoid everyone with a cough or green skin.

"Rory!"

The brunette turned her head to see a dream in denim. Her mother held two cups of coffee in her hand and thoughtfully passed one off, wrapping her daughter in a hug.

"She still hasn't woken up yet babe…" The woman ushers her daughter to a chair in the corner. She had saved the spot using multiple fashion magazines and a couple of bags of chips which she brushed aside to make room for herself.

Rory grabbed her hand, "Tell me what happened! How did this happen?"

Lorelai sighed, trying to recount the tale, "Heart attack they think. Berta found her face down on the deck, unconscious. They brought her to surgery but I don't' know…." She shook her head as she spoke the words.

Rory sighed and leaned her head back against the wall.

It was all she could do to stay calm. Her dreams of her daughter growing up and getting to spend time with multiple generations of strong women were out the door. Her daughter would never know her namesake and her Grandma would never know the impact.

The way that original Emily lit up when Rory placed the infant in her Grandmother's arms and explained how much she had meant to her through the years was priceless. It broke her heart to see it crash down in such a short period. She should have visited more in the past year, spent more time checking in.

"Are you with Emily Gilmore?" A man in scrubs stood in the doorway of the emergency room, a chart in his right hand and a nervous twitch in the left.

"We are!" Lorelai pulled her daughter up, "We are with Emily Gilmore…." Her voice cracked, the emotion raw and fresh and it made the pit in Rory's stomach expand further than it already had.

"I think you two should come with me…." He directed them to the area behind him.

The brown haired, blue eyed girls intertwined clammy fingers, providing the needed comfort.

At least she was with Richard now.


	4. bells

He remembered when he had said he could be her boyfriend, when he had gifted her the Birkin bag, the first moment he realized that this was more than just another girl on his list. That was why her saying no to his proposal hurt so much.

It was day five of his binge drinking expedition with Collin and Finn and he wondered what she was doing- not that he wanted to be wondering. Did she feel the same emptiness in her chest, in her space, in her soul or was she fine moving on without him? Had he been an idiot for just letting her go. Should he take a plane home and ask her to get back together? He barely slept a wink with all the questions that had been running through his mind.

"Ay mate, you ready for round six?" Finn must have copied the hotel key card, either that or Logan had forgot to shut the door after he collapsed the night prior.

The blonde turned away, groaning at the familiar accent that was forcing his headache to the forefront, "Go away Finn! I need like four hundred more hours of sleep!"

"Not for a minute darling, we're on a booze cruise across countries not a sleep cruise!" The skinny brunette reached for the window, revealing the daylight to the entire room.

"Damn it Finn!" Logan stood, fighting him for the blinds.

He would much rather have been curled up in Cabo with Rory snoring softly next to him. They would have stayed up late reading the paper, drinking way too much caffeine before bed, and enjoying the light breeze on the patio.

Instead she was gone.  
And he was here.

Not exactly the fairy tale ending he was hoping for.

* * *

The reflection staring back at her was practically unrecognizable. She couldn't remember the last time she had worn so much makeup and had her hair pinned back in such an intricate design. She felt beautiful; she hoped he felt the same.

What had once been a thought that she couldn't even fathom was now a reality. She wondered if he felt the same and she wondered if the ring on her finger was an exact replica of that original one he presented years ago. She had never taken too close of a look, worried that a diamond would deter her from the correct path.

"Oooo you look G to the O to the R –ORGOUS!" A short brunette waltzed in, accompanied by a giant tray of something green. Rory's eyes narrowed as she examined the silver tray and the woman smiled sheepishly, "Thought you might be hungry! I was starving the day I married Jackson! Probably because I hadn't eaten a thing in the three weeks leading up to it…." She set the tray down and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks, Sookie!" Rory sighed, "Have you seen my mom anywhere?"

"I'm in here and just you wait until you see what I have with me!" She was in the attached bathroom to the fitting room. Rory wondered how long she had been in there and how she had failed to notice this entire time- she wasn't usually one to get so caught up in her looks.

Lorelai popped her head out to reveal loose brunette curls, "Are you ready?"

Rory squeezed Sookie's hand, nervous for what she was going to reveal, "As ready as we can be…."

Lorelai widened the door and out walked the most perfect tot. She was rocking a delicate updo with flowers in her hair and a dress that matched Rory's perfectly just about an eighth of the size.

"Oh, Emmie!" Rory's hands raised to her face and she wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. She had started to grow into her face more so each day and her features looked more like a strong mix of the Gilmores and the Huntzbergers every day.

"Isn't she perfect?" Lorelai gawks at her granddaughter, amazed at how much the past three and a half years had gone by, "So are you…" She whispered to her daughter who was staring blankly at the wall.

"Rory!" Her best friend popped her head into the door. She was growing her typically chopped black hair out and was wearing it with a grownup version of the crimped look she had sported in her youth, "Paris is driving me insane! How did you ever live with that woman?"

"Green puff?" Rory apologetically offered some food to the girl in hopes that it would alleviate the pain of having to spend time with the wicked Geller girl who had somehow managed to weasel her way into every aspect of Rory's life despite a rocky start decades ago.

"Thanks!" The girl falls into the chair across the room, grateful for a minute away from her own husband and kids, "You look absolutely stunning…" She smiled at her childhood friend, remembering her own wedding. The two had been in such a different place. She extended her arms to beckon over the toddler, "You do too Em!"

The child laughed as she wobbled over to Lane who had been at Rory's beck and call for every first moment, every fever, and every complaint. The two had only grown stronger with age, still reminiscing of the boyfriends and bad times when things started to feel a little too surreal.

A knock shook the women from their seats, each eye peering towards the door. Lorelai the brave waltzed over, "Bad luck to see the bride!" She spouted as soon as it was revealed who was at the door.

Logan chuckled insincerely, "I have to talk to Rory!" His typically tanned face had turned an unusual shade of pewter and the life that graced his eyes had left.

The blue-eyed mother of one peered back at her daughter, questioning if it was okay. Rory nodded, standing from her spot. She slipped out the thin crack in the door, shutting it behind her, worried that Logan was getting cold feet, "You okay?" Her frigid hand touched his suited-up arm.

"It's my Dad…" He was noticeably shaking, "He had a heart attack and he's in the hospital. I need to go to him but- but-," He was visibly concerned about ruining the day that they had spent so long trying to get too.

"But nothing!" She stopped him, pulling him in, "Do you want me to go with you? Do you want me to send everyone home?"

He shrugged, unsure of what he wanted. It was no secret his relationship with his father was a constant and fluctuating work in progress. It was like an old house that had been repaired but then another piece of it collapsed off and needed fixing. Just when they thought they were in a good place, something split them apart. Typically, it was Logan's antics or Mitchum's need to be in control.

None of this meant that Logan didn't care greatly for the man who gave him life and legacy. The man who had shaped him into what he was today and showed him exactly how he didn't want to father his children. He wondered if he was in pain, if he would pull through. His father was far too young to end it all now.

"He's on the other side of the city! But I really, really want to marry you…." His face contorted in conflict.

Rory had to laugh, her fears of him getting cold feet washing away, "We can get married anytime Logan! I'm not going anywhere!"

"God, I love you!" His lips landed on her before he pulled back, "Honor is going to drive us! I promise to call you when we get there and to your other question, send everyone home until further notice and no I don't expect you to come. I know the history." He squeezed her hand, kissing her once more before waltzing out of the doors. A sight that would be terrifying for most brides to be.

She turned back into the room of her friends and her family with a nervous smile on her face. They stared intently wondering what could have been so important. She started, "Hey so the wedding is…. Off!" She tilted, awkwardly trying to present the news as a positive but by the look on everyone's faces they weren't buying it, "His father had a heart attack on his way here! Him and his sister are headed to the hospital right now."

"Oh my god!" Sookie exclaimed, nervous that the Type A in front of her would have a mental breakdown at any minute.

Her hands halted the flock of females, "It's okay! I'm okay! Logan is okay! We are simply postponing…." Her hand reached behind her to start unzipping her dress.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai questioned, her own trial and error with weddings reminding her how hard it was to be so close and then have it ripped away.

"I'm completely sure!" She revealed a slip underneath and searched lazily for the sweatpants she had come in, eager to change and chow down on the mountain of food that was about to be leftover.

"I'll go tell the guests!" Lane stood from the chair, setting Emily down and nudging her towards her mother.

Sookie stood, "I'll get everything packed up and wrapped and we can bring this party back home!"

Rory breathed in, "Thanks everyone!" Lorelai handed her the sweatpants and sweatshirt she had been looking for and watched carefully to make sure her daughter was actually okay. She was excellent at saying how fine she was but eventually collapsing into a gallon tub of ice cream accompanied by a quart of tears.

Lorelai squeezed her hand, "Back to my house for food and fun?"

"Let's let it clear out before we head anywhere!" She knew that she hadn't technically been left at the alter but other people didn't know that, "What are these?" She popped another green piece into her mouth, "They're delicious!"

"Avocado ala Sookie!" Lorelai picked her granddaughter up, breaking apart one of the small tarts and feeding it to her. She looked delighted to be in the presence of two of her favorite people.

"Maybe I'll go the hospital!" Rory sighed, "He didn't say that he wanted me to go but I think I'm going to go…"

"Don't they typically have churches in hospitals?" Lorelai raised an eyebrow.

Rory shook her head, "You're not going where I think you're going!"

"Let's go!" Lorelai propped open a window, "This way nobody will see us leaving and think that you got stood up. That could be embarrassing!"

"Yes, because climbing through a window isn't!" Rory watched her mother plop down to the ground, surprised at how spry the woman continued to be. She hadn't slowed down since ever, "Here!" She passed her daughter down who was having far too much fun accompanying the Gilmore girls.

Rory stared at the ground which seemed somewhat far away, she wondered if she should tell the other girls that's where she was headed but she assumed that her mother was already on it.

"I texted Luke… he should be pulling the car up…. Right there!" She pointed to the green truck parked conveniently away from where all the guests were pooling out. She grabbed her daughters hand, and tugged, pulling her through the lush grass.

"Where are we headed? What's happening?" Luke had already stripped from his tie and suit jacket, returning his typically casual state.

"To the hospital!" Rory strapped her daughter into the car seat that Luke kept in the back.

"To have this wedding!" Lorelai slid into the front seat, "You didn't think we were just going to do something boring, did you?"

All Luke could do was shake his head.

**quick note: just wanted to thank everyone who has been reading and following along! i'm enjoying just writing quick snaps into the life of these two and hope you're enjoying reading them! **


	5. evolve

The integrity of the event!  
What even was this event?

Rory slid into the blue dress that Logan had packed so nicely in a box. It fit her like a glove. It was unsettling the way that he had nailed her exact size.

She stepped out of the tent and watched his face shift into a smile. It was endearing, the way his confidence evaporated into this undeniable friendliness. His hand extended to hers and he pulled her, through the woods, to reveal the most magnificent scene.

She didn't even realize that anything like this existed- not at Yale, not anywhere.

He jumped right in, mingling, frolicking and she watched as his friends jumped in front of paint guns, pulled girls around in carts, and drank more champagne than she even knew was possible.

This was crazy. He was crazy.  
She wanted to be crazy.

* * *

Logan was starting to feel strangely at home at birthday parties designed for five year olds. Between Honor's twins and his own daughter, he had dropped off, picked up, and attended more Mutant Turtle themed events than he ever cared to. The one today was different though. It was special; it was sad; it was monumental.

He couldn't believe that it had been five whole years since him and Rory had reconnected over a little blonde hair, blue eyed peanut that was now a full-grown walking and talking being. He saw more of his wife in her every day.

"Logan! Can you-," He watches a figure sweep by him in a flurry of pink tulle and at the door, the one who he grew fonder of each day, "Never mind!" She huffed, mom bun tied loosely at the top of her head, and the return of the bangs making her appear more youthful than ever. She was stunning, impeccable, and each day that he got older he swore she got younger.

"Emmie!" He yelled to the small figure, his voice loud but his tone soft, "What do you think you're doing?"

She stopped in her tracks, pivoting to face her parents who were both exhausted and overwhelmed at the idea of hosting a party that involved a sea of bouncy castles and gluten free snacks, "I'm just getting a snack!" Her hands fell to her hips and she acted as innocent as she looked.

"Do you know who is in the kitchen right now?" He stood, moving his body so he was able to kneel next to her.

"Auntie Sookie…." She crossed both hands in front of her, "She'll give me a snack!"

"Maybe if you ask nicely, and from the door instead of just barging in their like you forgot every manner we've worked so hard to learn! Do you want to lose a gold star on your BIRTHDAY of all days?" He spoke low and slow, careful not to undermine the intelligence that his offspring possessed but also with enough force to scare it into her that Sookie, although a talented chef, had dropped many knifes, pans, and more in her time in the kitchen.

"Can Mama come with me? And Gma!" Her eyes darted around, trying to meet everyone with orbs of baby blue in the room, "Gma!" Her voice raised as she grew nervous that her favorite person in the world had left.

Lorelai poked her head out of the kitchen, cupping a steaming piece of glassware and wearing an innocent expression, "What's up babe?"

"Can I have a snack from Auntie Sookie?" Emily's feet stomped across the hardwood.

"Well I think that would be just fine! What do you say Auntie Sookie?" Lorelai spoke the nickname mockingly but Sookie didn't mind. She was so grateful to be such a big part of the Gilmore Girl's lives.

"Sweet or savory? Ooo! How about both? I'm going to get you both!" Rory could hear the voice of the familiar family friend creeping out into the living space. She smiled at Logan who returned the favor, his hand extending to hers. They watched as their daughter accepted a cookie that was filled with basically everything but the kitchen sink. It was the size of her tiny head which would seem like far too much sugar for a normal child but when it came to the Gilmore's, this was barely an appetizer. It was amazing watching her mold her way into a mini pop-tart loving, future newspaper writer, with a touch for finance and a love for adventure. How was it possible that she was the perfect combination?

Lorelai sneakily reached down for a chunk of the cookie, plopping it in her mouth. Emily dismissed, too preoccupied by the mix of chocolate morsels and salted caramel, "Can we go outside?" The petite being pointed towards the sliding glass doors that lead to a decorated back yard.

"Of course, we can!" Grandma G would never miss an opportunity to crash a bouncy house before the rest of the guests arrive.

"Be careful!" Rory yelled out the door, dropping Logan's hands and walking after them.

"You come too Mama!" Emily dropped her grandmothers hand to head back to the door where her mother stood. Her strangely long and dangly arms created a chain between the three of them. Three generations walking together.

"Do you remember when you said, these could be our ones?" Lorelai started to ponder out loud, "We were at that cabin or whatever? And then Mitchum came in and kicked everyone out!"

Rory chuckled, "I forgot about that…." It seemed surprising that she could forget any of the moments that Logan and her had shared through the years. He had been such a figure for her in college, shaping how she felt about men, dating, living and more. When they were older, wiser, and a little grayer he had let her crash, let her in even when she had done nothing but push him out. He was always sweet, always meant for her. They fit together like two perfectly cut puzzle pieces.

"Who would have thought that would turn out to be true!" The older woman dropped the hand of her granddaughter and nudged her towards the plethora of activities that waited outside.

The two watched in unison, the small existence looping through tunnels, a petting zoo, and into the seat directly in front of the man who had been tasked with creating balloon animals. She was entranced at the latex creatures, absorbed with each twist and tie.

"You did the same thing when you were that age! You looked at everything with such wonder…" Lorelai pondered out loud, remembering Rory was she was barely tall enough to reach the middle shelf of her book case. How far she had come.

"What are you two ladies looking at?" Logan stepped outside, wine in hand, "A little pre-party preparation…" He passed them off.

"Thank you!" Lorelai sipped the glass of red, the fruity undertones mixed with the heat drawing her back indoors where the coffee and the snacks existed.

Rory hadn't even touched her glass, her eyes becoming glassy at the thought of her baby- their baby- growing up. In a few short months, she'd be headed to Kindergarten and then she'd be graduating high school. It was all happening far too quickly for her liking. Logan sensed the sadness, his hand delicately traced her shoulders, "You okay?"

She nodded, sniffled, and took a deep breath, "I'm fine! Completely and totally fine! Never been better!" Her arm entangled his, "Oh guests are starting to arrive!" She noted the sound of the sliding glass door opening into the backyard and little feet clipped at the grass.

"Did you have to invite your ex-boyfriend's family to this?" Logan snorts, seeing the tall figure slip through the door, blonde wife and three kids in tow.

"Dean! Hi!" Rory composed herself, "You brought the whole group!"

"Hope that's okay!" He laughed anxiously and watched his children interact with the child of his first love. Ultimately, he was happy for her, in the same way she was happy for him. The nostalgia hit once in a while but for the most part things were exactly how they were supposed to be.

"It's more than okay!" She nudged Logan forward, trying to get him to join in on the conversation.

"I see Finn and Colin! I'll be right back!" He grinned, patting Dean on the shoulder, remembering that time that the giant in front him had dumped Rory in the driveway driving her straight into his arms. In a way, he was grateful for Dean but in another way, he was so grateful to rid himself of that awkward conversation.

"I'm going to go track down-" Dean failed to finish the sentence, instead using a head gesture to direct where he was headed to (which was two of his children beating up on the third).

Rory sighed with a heavy yet happy heart as she walked over to the boys who had thrown her into an abundance of crazy adventures, "Can I hold?" Her arms extended to Finn who was holding a fresh infant, wispy brown ringlets peeping out under a pink cap.

"You can keep her!" Finn passed his inevitable offspring over.

"Take it you're not loving fatherhood?" Logan chimed in, smiling at the thought of his friend who had spent every day like it was his last turning into somebody who had to care for another life.

"He hasn't slept in days!" Colin stared aimlessly in the circle, grateful that he wasn't part of the clan of dads.

"Haven't slept in weeks- where can I get one of those?" He pointed to a man walking past with a glass, "Assuming that it's filled with liquor that will make me quickly forget that I am at a birthday party for an adolescent!"

"Gonna be hard to do with a petting zoo in the corner!" Rory smiled.

Colin shuddered, walking back into the house in search of booze and food.

"I'm going to go with him!" Finn beamed, "Logan?"

Logan's questioning eyes were welcomed with a nod from his significant other, who was perfectly content waltzing around, newborn in hand, enjoying the company of her friends and family.

"Mom!" Emily yelled across the way.

"Yes?" Rory whispered back, wincing at the idea of waking the sleeping infant.

"Is that my new sister?" Her pouted lip made it seem like that would be one of the worst things in her life to happen.

Rory laughed and shook her head. She knew what it was like to be an only child and the feeling of that being stripped away. It was terrible in the moment but in her old age she was grateful that she had been able to welcome in a half-sister and a step sister. She loved the way that Logan cared for his older sister and protected her, confided her, and trusted her. She loved the way that Dean had interacted with Clara and even the way that Jess had melted when Doula had been placed in his arms.

Sometimes she wondered if she'd regret keeping her own family to just one; It wouldn't be all bad to have another.

Granted, it was a girl of course.

* * *

**quick note: this is the end of this road. thanks to everyone that read! **


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